Learn more about Karah & Belletrist here!
In this heartfelt and humorous conversation, producer and Belletrist founder Karah Preiss joins Coco Plank to unpack the layered, often surprising role of connection in personal growth, creativity, and community. Growing up in the vibrant landscape of New York City 🗽, Karah reflects on how her upbringing shaped her relationship with connection, humor, and storytelling — and how those threads continue to weave through her life as a cultural curator, advocate for women’s voices, and champion of literature 📚.
From her unexpected journey from “hating reading” to co-founding Belltrist, a thriving book community for curious and connected minds, Karah shares how the loss of her father deepened her bond with stories and sparked a new way of understanding both grief and growth.
Together, Coco and Karah explore the synchronicities ✨ that nudge us forward, the importance of defining connection for ourselves, and how humor 😂 acts as both a creative tool and a survival skill in an often disconnected world.
This episode celebrates the magic that happens when curiosity meets vulnerability, the power of community in literature, and the quiet (but profound) work of being a mensch 💛 — someone who shows up with kindness and intention.
Whether you're a book lover, a creator, or simply navigating the art of human connection, this conversation offers both wisdom and wit, reminding us: life is not about the results, but about the relationships we build along the way.
Sound Bites
"Only connect!"
"I aspire to mensch-hood."
"Comedy is connection."
💡 Takeaways:
🔹 Connection is essential for personal growth and meaningful relationships.
🔹 Humor isn’t just entertainment — it’s a bridge to real human connection.
🔹 Growing up in a communicative environment shapes how we connect with the world.
🔹 Synchronicity often guides us, even when we don’t notice it.
🔹 True connection requires effort, vulnerability, and self-definition.
🔹 Books and storytelling create lasting communities and cultural curation.
🔹 Grief and loss can deepen your connection to memory and meaning.
🔹 Being a great producer is about connecting people and ideas to bring stories to life.
🔹 Life’s greatest rewards often come from authe
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